Do’s And Don’ts Of Pregnancy

Before the arrival of a little bundle of your joy, you should do what can help you produce a healthy and nurturing environment for your baby. It is possible when you have an idea about what you should do and what you should not do before or during pregnancy. To educate you, here are some do’s and don’ts of pregnancy:

Do take prenatal supplement 

Having a diet rich in all essential nutrients like vitamins and minerals is the most effective way to facilitate your body for baby growth. During pregnancy, your healthy diet alone might not be sufficient for you. Taking prenatal vitamins and minerals can help you get:

• Calcium
• Folic acid 
• Iron

These vitamins and minerals will prevent your baby from having birth defects and facilitate proper  growth.

Do have a lot of rest

Anxiety, hormonal changes, and anticipation during a 9-month pregnancy can make having sound sleep difficult for you. During pregnancy, particularly in the final trimester, you need more rest. For better rest, you must set bedtimes and stick to the same. Apart from night’s sleep, you should take a snooze during the daytime if you feel sleepy or tired. 

Do exercise daily 

The days when pregnant women avoid doing household tasks during their pregnancies have gone. In the contemporary world, reproductive health experts advise females to do light to moderate workouts during pregnancy as exercising is good for moms-to-be and forthcoming babies. In reality, exercising helps you:

• Combat muscle pain, insomnia, mood swings, and weight gain 
• Control blood pressure 
• Regulate hormone levels 

 

Do eat seafood 

Seafood is rich in minerals and vitamins like iron, omega-3 fatty acids, and zinc. These nutritional elements are essential for both you and your baby. You should take thoroughly cooked seafood to destroy harmful viruses and bacteria it contains. However, you should avoid eating seafood with a high level of mercury. Fish that contain high mercury levels are as follows:

• Swordfish 
• King mackerel 
• Tilefish 
• Shark 

 

Do light to moderate yoga poses 

Yoga poses, especially prenatal yoga classes, are highly beneficial for moms-to-be. You should join prenatal yoga classes as the instructors know which yoga pose is the best one for you during pregnancy. Before joining such classes, you should talk to your doctor about whether you should do yoga poses or not.  

 

Do get vaccinated 

As you consult a respective doctor after being pregnant, your doctor recommends you a few injections or vaccines to protect you and your baby from certain health issues like influenza. As a health conscious mom-to-be, you must take all the recommended vaccines for the betterment of the baby growing in your womb.

Do gain weight smartly 

During pregnancy, gaining weight is common for pregnant women. However, unhealthy weight gain is not good. You need to keep your pregnancy weight gain under control and let it not go beyond the recommended pregnancy weight. Through your calorie counting, you can manage your weight during pregnancy. You should eat only 100 extra calories a day in the first trimester, and 300 to 500 calories in the 2nd and 3rd trimester to support your baby growth.   

Don’t smoke 

Babies have a lower birth weight if their moms smoke during pregnancy. Further, smoking during pregnancy causes learning disabilities in babies after birth. Studies have found babies born to smoking females try to smoke at a younger age.  

Don’t drink 

Alcohol consumption affects the growth of the baby inside your womb. If both of you (couples of the opposite sexes) drink before and during pregnancy, your baby has a higher chance of FAS (foetal alcohol syndrome) that can result in:

• Learning disabilities
• Behavioural problems   
• Low birth weight
• Lagging patterns in terms of development 

 

Don’t eat raw, undercooked 

Eating raw or undercooked meat, egg, and other food items can make you have foodborne illness like toxoplasmosis and listeriosis. In addition, there is a high risk of having food poisoning. Taking such foods could lead you to have miscarriage or birth defects in your baby. You should cook your meal thoroughly before its consumption.  

Don’t take unpasteurised dairy products 

Calcium is a crucial element for your growing baby. However, you need to be careful while taking it from dairy products like milk. During pregnancy, you should never drink raw milk as it contains harmful bacteria, listeria. Pasteurised milk goes through a heating process to kill this bacteria. And hence, pasteurised dairy products are good, but unpasteurised ones are not good for you. 

Don’t take a lot of caffeine 

Caffeine can reach the placenta and cause an increase in your baby’s heart rate. As a pregnant woman, you must not take more than 2 cups of tea or coffee a day. 

Don’t have a hot shower or sit in a hot tub or sauna 

Having a hot shower or sitting in a hot tub or sauna can be harmful to you during pregnancy. High heat can lead you to have miscarriage. And sitting in hot tubs can increase your body temperature that can increase the risk of birth defects in your growing baby. 

Take away 

After having a conception, you need to be very careful whatever you do in your daily life. Having an idea about the do’s and don’ts of pregnancy will help you carry your pregnancy carefully and successfully.